𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋: 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 ✔️

Chapter 1: Present.

"The meeting will come to order." Carl Morgan slammed the gravel against the rubber plate. His dark wiry hair liberally sprinkled with grey was full and dishevelled from running it through his fingers. In wait for his tardy nephews and niece.

As the Chairperson of their sports agency located in the high rise, midtown Manhattan Uncle Carl liked to assert his authority. And exercise his control.

Jude Reynolds glanced at his siblings with fond amusement. As teenagers, they'd paid little attention to their Uncle's rules being that the bachelor didn't have any besides the few you could count on one hand.

1. Don't get pregnant
2. Don't get anyone pregnant.
3. Get tested regularly.
4. HIV does not discriminate and for Pete's sake "You're not wearing that Sophie!"

Which were fairly easy rules for Jude to follow seeing how he was gay and didn't start indulging in safe consensual sexual activity until his sophomore year in college.

"So let's go over today's agenda," Linda said, a slim and sleek tablet in hand to minute the meeting.

As per usual, her attitude implied business but her longing gaze toward Carl spoke of something else. Linda with her business demeanour buttoned-up white blouses, and raven hair pulled back in a tight low bun was in love with Uncle Carl. Everyone knew it, except Uncle Carl.

"First order of business. The NBA draft party, everyone has it on their calendar right?"

All nodded.

"Ok then. Onto the clients." Linda said adjusting her feline-shaped spectacles.

"Sophie, what's going on with Green?" Uncle Carl asked of the highly tempered basketball star.

Even when they were little kids questioning their social lives he would start with the youngest going up.

Sophie rolled her pen over her ear "I'm trying to counter some bad press, he'll be square soon. He just needs to watch how he acts at clubs with reality tv starlets." She said in a soothing voice.

"You need to manage him better and groom him for social media. His tweets are less than desirable." Steven commanded with a calm tone.

"I'll stick by his side for a few weeks and he'll learn," Sophie assured, nodding with promise.

Jude had no doubt in his siblings' abilities they were all great in their areas of speciality.

As 'one of the boys' Sophie liked to tackle the difficult players cultivating trust. Smoothing out ruffled feathers and keeping an athlete looking wholesome and decently aggressive to the media. The more sweat-soaked and masculine they were the happier Sophia was in her special femininity amongst athlete men and women. Shoots and spreads were her favourites. No idea why?

Steven, the brains of the family and oldest of the siblings thought and acted above it all choosing to work behind a desk. Where he could wear his custom-made suits in the finance department. A job description and a  career path that complimented the image he sought to present. Which the girls loved but the guy was bewitched by cold-heartened, hungry supermodels and starlets. Who almost always left him for ageing Hollywood men.

And Jude?

Well, he'd had no luck with men in sports starting with that high school quarterback he'd dated a full year. Yet the high school heartthrob had no intention of leaving the closet ever. Then it continued in college when the quarterback of the University of Miami turned out to have been screwing with him. Metaphorically and literally to get closer to his Uncle.

After that, he quit men in sports well almost.

Two years ago after joining the agency a linebacker for the Patriots had slipped past his defences and he'd allowed it. Since Kevin Thompson, the linebacker was one of the wealthiest, most eligible bachelors in sport and NYC their romance had played out in public including the break-up. Which ZMT and other sports and entertainment news outlets reported on ever so uniquely.

"Steven!" Uncle Carl barked shaking Jude out of his reverie and oddly skipping him in the normal lineup. "What's on your agenda?"

All the information was at hand though, through email but lately, he'd been insisting on these physical meetings.

"Trying to keep the peace between Thompson and Kruger financially," Steven said of his brother's highly publicized ex-boyfriend and other temperamental athlete.

Sophie groaned "Kruger is too fuckin' dim to understand discretion and the fact that his contract negotiations are up? Tsk tsk" she shook her head, her ponytail shaking along her slender shoulders.

"Stupid dumb fuck." Steven laughed flipping over the projector.

"Hey watch your tongue boy.!" Uncle Carl barked again, pointing his gravel at him.

"We learnt all our words from you Uncle Carl." Jude defended his brother with a laugh and open arms.

Uncle Carl groaned and squeezed over his eyes defeated as if they had dust in them.

Linda tried suppressing a laugh.

Tried.

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